Tuesday night's game against the Regional Select XV has been hailed a success on and off the pitch.
A healthy crowd turned out at the Talbot Athletic Ground to see a youthful Ospreys side overcome a strong challenge from the Select side, winning 58-22, while on the sidelines the entire senior squad mingled happily with supporters, signing autographs, posing for pictures, and generally helping to ensure a great evening for everyone who attended.
Elite Performance Director, Andrew Hore, said that the benefits from the fixture would be seen on and off the pitch:
“It was a great evening, and our thanks go out to everyone involved in putting the game together. It took a lot of hard work from a lot of people to make it a success, and we are extremely grateful. Andrew John and his team at Aberavon once again made us welcome and pulled out all the stops, so thanks to them for their efforts.
“It’s important to acknowledge the efforts of the Regional Select coaching team, Simon King, Craig Warlow and Mark Taylor did a great job in such a short period of time to get a competitive squad together that really performed well and tested the Ospreys side throughout the game.
“Every single player who turned out for the Regional Select side can take great pride in how they performed. It was a real opportunity for them to show the Ospreys coaches what they can do in that environment, and rest assured, they will study the DVD of the game to identify players who may be able to step up during the season when we may be looking to bolster our squad in the LV= Cup. That fact alone makes the exercise an extremely worthwhile one.
“It wasn’t just about what happened on the pitch though, Tuesday night was just as much about off the field stuff. We wanted to get out into the local community and really connect with the people that we represent, and in that sense it was a huge success. It was tremendous to see so many people there of all ages, families and groups of youngsters, turning out to see the Ospreys, and I’d suspect that we’ve definitely won ourselves some new support among the Aberavon community.
“I know that the squad of players who weren’t involved in the game thoroughly enjoyed themselves, it was good to see so many young fans getting to meet the players, and I hope they enjoyed themselves as much as we did. Make no mistake about it, we consider the evening a tremendous success and will definitely be looking at ways we can repeat the experience of getting out and about in the region throughout the season.”